Attention class, I need you to sit down because it’s time to take in Episode 3 of Valvoline’s Night School. In this episode we will be diving a bit more deeply into the engine of my 1965 Ford F100. That’s because we’re swapping in an upgraded camshaft and also replacing the valve seals. I want more lope, and I definitely get …way more loud.
Don’t forget to head to Valvoline to check out tons more great content from us, and a number of other folks out there.
Night School: Episode 3 – Camshaft and Valve Seals
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14 responses to “Night School: Episode 3 – Camshaft and Valve Seals”
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On a negative ground vehicle like Hoontruck, disconnect the negative battery cable first and reconnect it last. If you do the positive cable instead, as Tim suggested, you run the risk of accidentally touching the wrench to the fender or other grounded part of the vehicle, which could result in seared flesh or possibly explosions.
If the wrench contacts the negative battery cable and a grounded part of the vehicle while the positive cable is connected, no big deal because the negative cable already completed the circuit. If the wrench touches the positive battery cable and the fender WHILE THE GROUND IS DISCONNECTED, again, no big deal.-
all of this is good to know. for us the first step when working the engine bay areas is the removal of the battery(s) and discharging of any storage capacitors in the electrical system. surprising how many times air bags go kaboom in the car bays.
good advise is always welcome and listened to.
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Valve spring lift… by ‘compress and bottom out’ Tim means “float”, where the valve is thrown so forcefully by the cam (*through the pushrods, tappets and rockers) that it holds the spring in compression even though it’s lost mechanical connection to the cam*. This increases the duration, and can in certain engines mean the piston hits the valve because it hasn’t gotten out of the way. Even if that doesn’t happen, the valve eventually reconnects with the cam* with an impact, rather than a slide, causing wear. Stiffer springs stop this, as mentioned.
No! Not the positive lead! Take the negative lead off to disconnect a battery! The “hot” battery cable is the negative lead, not the positive lead. Electron flow is from the negative side of the battery. This is contrary to what everyone knows about electricity, and there’s a whole story behind that, but it becomes relevant when dealing with a battery (direct current). A battery is a big assed reservoir of electrons and they all want to go somewhere else, but the gateway is the negative terminal. Ideally their path leads to the positive side of the battery, but if you take the positive lead off they’ll take any path to a point of lower potential. Possibly through your arm, and potentially (hah!) through your heart. Taking the positive lead off just makes the whole chassis a live wire, because now there’s no best point of lower potential, just worse ones.
(This is why you always connect the negative lead last, especially when jump starting.)
Hitting the valve springs with a hammer. You hit a deep well socket (or other handy tube shaped thingy) with the hammer. Follow the diagram below, the socket is on the valve retainer, and you try and try to move that retainer down fast enough that the keepers pop out the top. Foul language seems to help, or sheer bloody mindedness.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9b8331e2b684906baf0bf192cc5cc8f6d4e8bff9246ede0f94816434ab6492e0.gif
How is an adjustment to the degree of the cam made? If the dots line up, there’s just one tooth either way, right? Do you rotate the sprocket somehow?
You should store the license plates in that cabinet you keep taping lists to. -
With regard to degreeing the cam, the video did not explain what the final result of the process should be? Does degreeing the cam indicate a need to assemble with the timing marks one tooth one way or the other? Or, were you just using the process to confirm the timing marks provide correct timing?
This has been a long-time question for me? Just what exactly does “degreeing the cam” accomplish?-
Their degreeing the cam accomplished nothing. by advancing or retarding the cam timing you can shift a particular cam’s power band. It can also be useful to prevent that big cam from killing the low end torque because the compression ratio wasn’t increased to the recommended minimum for the particular cam grind.
The way that it is done is either with a special crank gear that has multiple key ways and “dots”. The other way is with a stepped wood ruff key. There are also cam sprockets for rubber band powered engines that have bolts in slotted holes that allow you to adjust the cam’s timing.-
I appreciate your explanation. Is it fair to assume “degreeing a cam” is largely a specialist procedure for race applications? As I see it, a cam grinder/ manufacturer’s factory calculations are far more accurate than what a Glucker and his buddy in a messy garage can accomplish…..
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Yes it is more of a specialist thing for race or serious performance builds. Even if it wasn’t within their desired range they didn’t have any method to change it if needed. Here is a pretty good picture of one of the sets that allow you to advance or retard the cam timing from the factory spec. http://www.grumpysperformance.com/CLOYESGR.jpg
It does become extremely critical in high compression high lift applications to insure that the pistons and valves never meet.
Also it is important to note that a number of mfgs took the easy way out in the early days of emissions and rather than make a new cam shaft they changed the cam timing by cutting the keyway in the sprocket in a slightly different position. So it is a good idea to not use the generic replacement timing set if you are putting in a performance cam.-
I understand now. Many thanks!
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While that’s all true, they do make sprockets with slots for chain-driven cams, too.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/clo-9-3108a/overview/make/ford
https://static.summitracing.com/global/images/prod/mediumlarge/clo-9-3108a_w_ml.jpg
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This is some good stuff you guys!
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So was the pan dropped and the remains of the valve stem seals removed? Those little chunks of rock hard rubber are often small enough to slip past the oil pump screen and then they can lock up the pump or plug an oil passage if they make it past the pump. There is a reason that every oil pump mfg includes a slip of paper warning that there is no warranty if the valve stem seals are not replaced.
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Come on fellas…..if you have the engine out, take a little time to clean that lump thoroughly and apply a few cans of Ford Blue engine enamel!
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I agree while it is out it is the time to clean everything thoroughly and give it a fresh coat of paint. However it seems as though they didn’t think the plan out that well. A lot of time could have been saved if they went straight to pulling the engine.
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Great show. Ummm, seems that next (last) 2 episodes are also available on oilco’s website….
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